


The One with the Blind Dates

by southsidewrites



Series: The Southside Serpents as F.R.I.E.N.D.S. [8]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bad Blind Dates, Blind Date, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Friends AU, Humor, Love, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 15:32:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18527935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: It's been months since Betty and Jughead broke up, and their friends are sick of their moping.  When the two decide they're ready to start dating again, Toni and Fangs take it upon themselves to make sure they go on the worst blind dates ever, hoping that it'll drive them back together.  No one expected it to work quite as well as it did.Based on episode 9x14 of Friends: The One with the Blind DatesA One-Shot in The Southside Serpents as F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Anthology





	The One with the Blind Dates

Fangs strolled out of his bedroom wearing nothing but pajama pants and a satisfied grin.  He let out a loud yawn as the door to the apartment flew open, starting when he saw who it was. “Jughead, what the hell are you doing here?”

Jughead just rolled his eyes, going straight to the cabinet to pull out supplies for coffee. “I do live here for the time being, remember?”

Fangs rolled his eyes, hopping onto the counter and grabbing the gallon of milk to take a swig. “Wouldn’t know it with how late you’ve been working.”

“Fangs, I—”

“I know, I know,” Fangs bit back a smirk, droning like he had heard the same excuse a million times before. “Gotta keep busy so you can’t linger on the breakup.”

Jughead shot him a steely glare, grimacing when Fangs drank straight from the gallon. “Why do you have to be like that?”

“Like what?”

“Disgusting.”

Fangs just shook his head, tucking the milk back in the fridge. “You should try being less grumpy, man.  Chicks dig that, you know, smiling, being friendly, making jokes.  They don’t really dig the whole broody loner with the sense of humor of a pit viper thing.”

“And let me guess, you know this because you’re such a master of all things women.” Jughead had to keep himself from scoffing as he poured his coffee into the mug. “Actually, don’t answer that, I _really_ don’t want to hear all about how your date last night went, and I sense you might take this as an invitation to tell me.”

“Aw, is Jughead sad he got sexiled again?” Fangs teased, punching him lightly in the shoulder. “Don’t worry—she should be out soon.”

“Wait, _soon_?” Jughead jerked to a stop, his hand clenching around the steaming mug. “As in, she’s still here?”

Fangs shrugged, hopping off the counter and starting toward the living room. “Sure is.  Didn’t have the heart to wake her up.”

Sighing, Jughead fell into his usual recliner, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a long drink from his mug.  Shaking his head, he winced at the strong flavor. “We really need to set some roommate ground rules, Fangs.”

“Start paying rent, and I’ll consider it,” Fangs quipped, sprawling out on the couch with a wide grin. “It’s not my fault Betty kicked your ass out last minute.  You should be grateful I even let you crash on that lovely futon.”

“Maybe I should have moved in with Sweet Pea,” Jughead muttered.  He slumped back in his chair, glancing down at his phone before letting out another low sigh. “It really is about time I start moving on, though,” he said, his voice so low Fangs almost couldn’t hear it.  Then, he took a deep breath and looked up at his friend. “Fangs, I hate to even ask this, but—”

Fangs’ eyes lit up. “Jughead, are you asking what I think you are?”

Jughead bit back a groan of annoyance.  Then, his voice came out barely above a whisper. “Fangs, is there any chance you could set me up with someone?”

Fangs burst out of his seat, fist-pumping as he did a pathetic excuse of a happy dance. “Yes!  Yes, I absolutely can!  This is all I’ve ever wanted since you moved in here.”

Jughead groaned regretfully, tipping his head back on the chair. “Have I just made a huge mistake?”

Laughing, Fangs slid into place on the armrest of the chair, wrapping his arm around Jughead and yanking off his beanie to muss up his hair. “No way, Jones.  You’ve just made the _greatest_ decision of your entire life.”

“Somehow, I seriously doubt that.”

* * *

 Fangs was still lounging on the couch in his pajama pants the next time the door opened. “Doesn’t anyone knock around here?” he shouted, not looking up from his phone. “I could have been busy!”

“With what?  Jerking off?” Toni scoffed as she walked through the kitchen into the living room. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Fangs looked up at her, smiling lasciviously. “Oh, is that what this is?  Trying to catch me with my dick out, Topaz?”

She just rolled her eyes, taking a seat in Jughead’s usual recliner. “You wish, Fangs.  No, I just needed to get out of the house for a bit.  Betty’s being…” she faded out, making an annoyed face. “You know.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Fangs agreed, clicking off his phone and tucking it in his pocket. “Jughead’s been the same way.  This breakup’s been a pain in the ass for all of us.”

“Seriously.” Toni sighed, sinking deeper into the comfy chair. “It’s been months now, and they’re still just—” she cut off, searching for the right word. “Stuck, you know?  Like, has Jughead been on any dates since?  Because Betty sure hasn’t.”

“Nope,” Fangs replied, finally sitting up. “You’ll never believe this, though.  He actually just asked me to set him up with someone this morning.”

Toni’s eyes widened, and it took her a moment to formulate a response. “No way.  Jughead asked _you_ to set him up?  Isn’t he usually the first to make fun of your taste in women?”

“Sure is,” Fangs replied. “Poor guy must be desperate, though.  Maybe he really is ready to start moving on, and he has no idea where to start.  He and Betty were together since high school after all—they have no idea how to date as adults.”

“That’s very true.  What weird timing, though,” Toni mused, shaking her head.   Her dark eyes were narrowed in concentration. “Betty asked me the same thing yesterday.”

“Seriously?” Fangs eyes widened, and it took him a moment to process before he spoke again.  His words came out slowly, his eyebrows furrowing. “We can’t really do that, can we?  Set them up?  With people who aren’t each other?  It would be too weird, setting up Betty and Jughead with other people.”

“I agree,” Toni sighed. “Which is why I kind of blew Betty off when she asked.  I had no idea what to say.  Hell, I’m half-tempted to set her up with someone absolutely terrible, so—” She cut off, her eyes widening as the idea hit. “Set her up with someone terrible, so she realizes just how good she had it with Jughead.”

Fangs lips curved into a grin, and he nearly leaped off the couch with excitement. “Oh my god, that’s brilliant.  We both set them up on absolutely horrible dates, and then they’ll realize just how much they messed up breaking up!  I mean, it’s obvious they’re still not over each other, and maybe a terrible date will make them realize that.”

“Exactly!” Toni was smiling now, already scrolling through her phone. “And I know just the guy to set Betty up with.”

“Who?”

“His name is Steve.  A total weirdo who used to be a " _regular"_ at the tattoo parlor—he was always asking for inappropriate tattoos from female artists, and we eventually had to ban him for it.”

Fangs made a face. “Are we sure Betty will be safe with this guy?”

“Oh absolutely,” Toni assured him. “Guy’s a creep, but harmless.  How about you?  Got any ideas for Jughead?”

Fangs bit his lip, deep in thought. “A couple.  Let me make some texts today, and I’ll get back to you.  Meet at the Wyrm later?”

“Sounds good.” Her grin widened as she got off the couch. “See you then, and you better have someone good!  And by good, I mean absolutely _terrible_.”

Fangs laughed, already pulling out his phone to search through his contacts. “You’ve got it, Topaz.  See you then.”

* * *

 “You two are doing _what_?” Sweet Pea asked, tossing a towel over his shoulder as he cleaned glasses behind the bar. “Please repeat that, Toni, and maybe try to make it sound sane this time.”

“You heard me just fine, Sweet Pea.  We’re setting Betty and Jughead up on horrible blind dates so that they realize how dismal the dating pool in this city is and are chased back into each other’s loving arms.”

“And that doesn’t strike either of you as invasive or weird?”

“Oh, it’s absolutely weird,” Toni said, pushing her empty glass toward him with a look. “But if it’s the wakeup call they need to stop moping around, then I’m all for it.  Don’t you want them to be happy again?”

“Of course, I do.” Sweet Pea sighed as he started making her another drink. “I’m just not sure this is the way to do it.  Who did you say you set Betty up with again?”

“Creepy Steve from the tattoo parlor.”

Sweet Pea jerked to a stop, his eyebrows raising. “Are we sure she’s going to be safe with him?”

Toni rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you and Fangs are concerned for her and all, but he’s mostly harmless.  Just creepy, usually on drugs, and more than a little desperate.  He would never try something in a public restaurant.”

“What about on the way home from a public restaurant?”

“He’s _fine_ ,” she insisted. “Trust me, he always takes no for an answer, and then he starts—”

“I found the perfect woman!” Fangs shouted, slamming open the double doors of the bar and he strode in. “And by perfect, I mean boring as hell!”

Toni spun around, snagging her drink from Sweet Pea’s hand to give Fangs an excited look. “Ooh, tell me more!”

He nodded at Sweet Pea who just sighed tiredly and grabbed a beer out of the cooler. “Well, she’s someone I met a few weeks back.  A total snooze—loves to read, a grad student in literature or something, wants to be a _novelist_ of all things.  All she ever wanted to talk about was books and movies and history and stuff.  I’m amazed I made it through the date without falling asleep at the table.”

Toni gave him a stunned look, and Sweet Pea started laughing so hard he had to set down Fangs’ beer before he dropped it.

“Fangs, you idiot!” she snapped, nearly leaping out of her seat to grab him by the front of his shirt. “What did Jughead major in in college?”

“Creative writing, but that’s—” He froze, his mouth falling open as the realization hit. “Oh, no.”

“You found the absolute perfect girl for him,” Sweet Pea laughed. “If anything, you should have picked one of the girls who actually liked you, maybe that one who abandoned you in Atlantic City so she could hook up with that guy from Jersey Shore.”

“Shit,” Fangs snapped, slumping onto a barstool. “You’re right—Cindy would have been great for this.  Hell, she was even a bit much for me, what with the whole Jersey Shore threesome thing and all.”

“Wait, _what?_ ” Toni asked incredulously. “Jersey Shore threesome thing?  Is there a part of the Cindy story that I missed, or—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Fangs cut her off with a hand wave. “Point is, _she_ would have been great for this.  This girl, though, shit, we can’t let her anywhere near Jughead, or he’ll fall in love.  She’s basically a brunette Betty.  I’m going to have to cancel the date and find someone else, and—”

“Wait.” Toni held up her hand, her lips curving into a smile as she came up with a new idea. “You don’t need to find someone else.”

“What are you talking about?” Fangs asked.

Behind the bar, Sweet Pea groaned, shaking his head as he put it together. “You guys are the worst.”

Toni rolled her eyes, ignoring the look Sweet Pea was giving her. “Just cancel the date, Fangs, but don’t tell Jughead.  The perfect girl won’t show up, and he’ll assume he was stood up.  That’s about as bad as a date can get, after all.”

“True.” Fangs nodded, taking a sip of his beer. “Well, I guess we have a plan, then.  Jughead gets stood up, and Betty goes on a date with creepy Steve.  There’s no way they won’t go running back to each other after that.”

“Yeah, _no way_ ,” Sweet Pea replied, rolling his eyes. “There’s absolutely no way this can go wrong.”

“Glad to see you’re on board, big man!” Fangs laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. “Now, I’d like another beer, please.”

Sweet Pea sighed, taking his empty bottle. “Let it be known that I think this is a terrible idea.”

Fangs laughed, grabbing his drink. “Let it be known that I think you’re a party-pooper.”

“Why do I still hang out with you people?”

* * *

 Jughead leaned back in his chair with a sigh.  Then, he glanced down at his watch.   After all Fangs had done to talk up this blind date, she was fifteen minutes late.  Tiredly, he ran his hand through his hair, his mind drifting quickly to Betty—she was on time for everything, and it was usually her rushing him out the door.  Shaking his head, he forced the thought out of his mind.  The whole point of this stupid date was to _not_ think about Betty, and here he was, thinking about Betty.

He reached for his wine glass, biting back a groan when he saw it was empty.  He signaled the waiter as he walked by.

“Sir, would you like another glass of wine?”

“Not yet,” he snapped, his tone coming out a lot more aggressive than he intended. “Is there by any chance a woman waiting at the bar?  Average height?  Dark hair and glasses?  Maybe reading a book?”

The waiter’s eyes narrowed, and then he shook his head. “Nope.  There is a drunk Chinese man, though.”

Jughead sighed. “Well, if I’m still here in an hour, buy him a drink on me.”

The waiter nodded slowly, his lips pursing. “So, about that second glass of wine?”

“I don’t know if I should,” he exhaled hard, fingering the stem of the empty glass. “I wouldn’t want to be too drunk when I go home alone.”

“Got stood up, huh?” The waiter shifted his weight, sliding his tray under his arm as he gave Jughead a sympathetic look. “That blows.”

“Eh, it’s no big deal.” Jughead shook his head, finally looking up from the wine glass. “It’s just a blind date.”

“Yikes.  Aren’t you worried she came, saw you, and left?”

Jughead’s eyes snapped open, and he shook his head frantically. “Well, I wasn’t before, but now I am!”

“Sorry, sir,” he stammered, quickly grabbing the wine glass. “I’ll be back with that in a moment.”

Muttering, Jughead grabbed his fork and tapped it against the table angrily. “Fucking blind date.  I’m going to kill Fangs.”

* * *

 Betty gritted her teeth, looking over her menu and trying not to cringe.  The guy Toni had set her up with, Steve, was at least fifteen years older than her, and he was not…well, not exactly her usual type.  Every time she glanced over the menu, he was staring at her, his beady eyes unblinking.

“Well, I think I’m going to get the grilled chicken,” she said, awkwardly breaking the painful silence. “It’s roasted with—”

“You’re beautiful.”

She swallowed hard, fighting to keep her face steady.  Before she had a chance to respond, though, he continued.

“I bet you hear that all the time, though.  It’s obvious you’re pretty.  Me on the other hand, though, I’m kind of funny-looking.”

“What?” Betty balked, blinking hard. “I—um—”

“No, no, no need to argue.  You can see me just fine—thinning hair, definitely overweight, an odd nose.  It’s obvious you’re out of my league.” He sighed, setting down his own menu to fix his eyes on her, peering hard from below his bushy eyebrows. “Everybody here knows it.” He jerked his head at a nearby table. “Bet that guy over there’s saying, _Ooh, what’s she doing with him? He must be rich!"_ He scoffed, shaking his head. "Well, I’m not.”

Betty opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to come up with a non-awkward response. “So, what are you going to order?  Because I’m very excited about that chicken, and—”

“I’m not funny either,” he cut her off. “So, if you were thinking, _he may not be hot, but maybe he’s funny_ , you’re wrong.  No way I make you laugh tonight.  Well, unless we make it to bed of course…”

“Well, come on now, Steve,” Betty replied, her voice strained.  She dug her nails into her thighs under the table, trying to keep herself from sprinting back out the front door. “Let’s not rule out nervous laughter.” She bit back a pained chuckle. “And hey, Toni told me that you own your own restaurant.  That’s pretty impressive.”

“I lost it,” he said plainly, picking up his wine glass to down it all in one sip. “To drugs.” He looked down at the empty wine glass with annoyance. “I print t-shirts now.”

“Oh, well that’s cool!” Betty exclaimed, desperate to latch on to something. “What’s that like?”

“Well, as you can imagine, it’s horribly unfulfilling doing something you hate for virtually no money.” He let out a wry chuckle. “That’s right.  I have no money.  I’m not funny.  I live in a studio apartment with two other guys, and I’m pretty sure I’m being evicted next month.”

Betty couldn’t hold back her awkward chuckle, and it sounded more like a whimper. “Now, come on, Steve.  There has to be _something_ you like about yourself.”

He gave her a skeptical look, eyeing her as if she was making a joke. “I like my ears.”

She couldn’t hide the confusion in her tone. “Really?”

“Sure do.” He let out a low sigh, once again shaking his head at the empty wine glass. “I’m gonna go take a smoke break.  Make sure the waitress gets me a refill.”

“Sure thing, Steve!” Betty said, forcing a wide smile.  As soon as he was out the door, she whipped out her phone, typing Toni’s number.  She picked up on the first ring, and Betty could faintly hear the sounds of the Whyte Wyrm in the background. “Toni, I am going to hunt you down and kill you,” she whispered furiously.

“Hey, Betts!” Toni laughed, her voice light. “How’s the date going?”

“This is the worst date ever!” she snapped. “Why on earth did you set me up with this creep?”

“Hey, that’s one of my oldest, most-beloved clients you’re talking about there.”

“Toni!” Her voice rose, and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself. “I don’t care _who_ he is—this guy is the worst!”

“I suppose, he does get a little difficult when he’s stoned,” she admitted.

“Stoned?” Betty spat. “He’s not stoned, Toni!”

“Did he go outside for a cigarette?”

“Yeah, twice.”

“Oh, my dear, sweet Betts.”

* * *

 Jughead let out a tired sigh when he saw the waiter coming back.  He could practically feel the pity radiating off him in waves, and he wished he could just crawl under the table and disappear.

“Well, I’ve got bad news,” the waiter said. “The drunk Chinese guy left.”

“Eh.” Jughead shrugged. “If it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be.”

The waiter managed a cheerful smile, resting a hand on Jughead’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Look, dude, you got stood up, who cares?  We’re going to show you a good time anyways.  You just sit back and relax, and I’m going to bring you a crab cake appetizer on the house.”

“Wow, crab cakes,” Jughead droned. “That’s nice, even if I was hoping to have sex tonight.”

The waiter’s eyebrows shot up, nearly disappearing into his hairline. “Oh, I um…”

Jughead rolled his eyes, looking back up at the waiter. “The crab cakes are fine, thanks.”

Before the waiter even stepped away from the table, though, another waiter walked up to him, giving him a stern look. “What are you doing?” He snapped, crossing his arms. “That’s not allowed you know, trying to make him stay like that.”

“Dude, get out of here,” the first waiter said, shoving him back slightly as he glanced back at Jughead, a worried look on his face.

Jughead sat up a little straighter in his seat. “What—what’s going on here?”

The first waiter exhaled, his shoulders slumping as he turned back to Jughead. “Well, the waiters have a bit of a pool going,” he admitted, his head dropping shamefully. “We have a bet on how long it’ll take before you give up on this non-existent date and go home.”

Jughead’s jaw dropped, and he looked between the two men. “ _What?_ You’re making _money_ off my misery?”

He shrugged, his lips quirking into a smile. “If you stay until 9:30, I am.”

“This is unbelievable!” Jughead shot up from the table, banging his fist against the cloth-covered surface. “I have _never_ been so insulted in my life.” He looked between the two of them, his lips pressed into a tight light, his eyes alight with anger. “Now, if you’ll just wrap up my free crab cakes and bring me my check, I’ll be on my way!”

* * *

 

Betty sighed with relief when she saw the Wyrm come into view.  The walk back from the restaurant had felt impossibly long, and she immediately regretted letting Steve walk her there.  He was just so pathetic, though, and she really did _not_ want to deal with his inevitable emotional breakdown when she said no.  Finally, she came to a stop in front of the bar, keeping her distance from him.

“This is where I leave you, Steve.”

His face dropped, and he took a deep breath, steeling himself. “Well, Betty, I think I already know the answer to this question, but…would you like to make love to me?”

Betty took a large step back, nearly walking into the bar as her mouth fell open with shock. “No Steve, I would not.”

“Eh.” He shrugged. “Just as well—probably wouldn’t work anyway.”

Her face twisted, and she fumbled for the handle of the door. “All right then.  Good night, Steve.” Without waiting for a response, she backed into the bar, slamming the door shut behind her.  She squeezed her eyes shut as she let out a sigh of relief.  Then, she opened them, scanning the room for Toni so she could kill her.  Instead, the sight of a familiar beanie caught her eye, and she dipped through the crowd to get to the back of the bar where Jughead was planted at his usual table eating out of a takeout container.

“Hey, Jug,” she sighed, pulling up the chair next to him.

“Hey, Betts.” He looked up at her, and his eyes narrowed with concern. “What the heck happened to you?”

“What, does it show on my face?” She sighed, signaling Sweet Pea to bring her a drink. “I just—” She cut off. “Never mind—it’s weird talking to you about this.”

“Toni told me you had a blind date.”

“Yup.” Sweet Pea set her drink down, and she gave him a grateful smile before taking a long sip.

“I did, too,” Jughead said, stabbing a crab cake aggressively with his fork. “Although, I’m not entirely sure it counts as a date if the ever person never shows up.”

“Ooh, that’s rough.” Betty gave him a sympathetic smile, giving his hand a squeeze. “Are you worried that she walked in, saw you, and then left?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” he snapped, slamming his fork on the table. “I am _not_ worried she walked in, saw me, and left.”

Betty stifled a laugh. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I _wish_ mine hadn’t shown up.”

“Shit, that bad?” Jughead’s eyebrows rose, and he returned to his crab cakes. “And let me guess—you were too damn nice to sneak out the bathroom window halfway through?”  Betty rolled her eyes, and Jughead smirked. “No, really, Betts, what on earth could he have done that would make being stood up a better fate?”

“Well, I won’t bore you with all the details, but he works in t-shirt printing, and he thought this would be an appropriate gift.” She rifled through her bag, yanking out a black t-shirt that was clearly too big for her.  Grimacing, she tossed it to him.

Setting down his fork, Jughead unrumpled the t-shirt, and his jaw dropped. “ _FBI: Female Body Inspector."_   He looked back up at her, his eyes narrowed."What the hell?"

“Exactly.” She nodded, taking another sip of her drink.

“Think it’s a large?  I bet we could get Fangs to wear it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we—” she cut off, her eyes widening as something came to her. “Wait, Fangs!”

“What about him?”

“He set you up on this no-show blind date, right?”

“Mhm.”

“And Toni set me up on this one.”

“Your point?” Jughead was giving her a skeptical look, but he also knew better than to doubt Betty Cooper when she had a hunch.

“Our roommates simultaneously set us up on our first date in months, and they were both colossal disasters.  Does that not strike you as odd?”

Slowly, he dropped his fork back to the table, his mouth falling open as he looked at her. “Those bastards.  They set us up.”

* * *

 Toni laughed as her and Fangs approached the bar, a bag of takeout food in hand. “I don’t know, Fangs.  I really do think Cindy was a nice enough girl before the whole Atlantic City thing, and—”

“Toni, look!” He cut her off, throwing his arm out to pull her to a stop as they approached the Wyrm.  Through the window, they could faintly see Betty and Jughead sitting in the back of the bar, deep in conversation. “It’s working—they’re talking.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Toni said, a note of wonder in her voice. “I didn’t think it would actually work, but it’s working.”

“Didn’t think it would actually work?” Fangs scoffed. “Of course, it was going to work.”

Toni rolled her eyes, shushing him as she watched the conversation. “Wait a sec, Fangs.  They don’t look happy.”

“What do you mean?” He took a step closer, nearly pressing his face into the window. “Oh, shit, you’re right.  They look pissed.”

As if on cue, Betty and Jughead turned to face the window, matching expressions of anger on their face.  Both of them flew out of their seats and toward the door.

“Oh, shit.” Toni clutched her takeout bag and started scrambling back towards her bike. “Fangs, run!”

Fangs barked out a laugh as he took off toward his own bike. “At least they’re bonding!”

“Yeah, over _killing_ us!” Toni shouted back.

“Still bonding!”

Betty and Jughead burst out the doors, and Betty looked furious. “Toni, I’m going to—”

“Kill me.  I know,” she laughed, giving Fangs an amused look. “Looks like we’ve been busted, Fogarty.”

Jughead glared at her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Did you two really think this would work?”

“Are you guys talking?” Fangs replied, raising his eyebrows in an _I-told-you-so_ kind of look.

“I—”

“We—”

Betty and Jughead sputtered out replies, turning to face each other when they realized what they were doing.

“Thought so.” Fangs smirked, crossing his arms. “Now, I’m going to be spending the night with a date tonight, so that apartment will be all yours, Jughead.”

Jughead rolled his eyes. “Just get out of here, Fangs.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Fangs kicked up his kickstand and revved the engine. “Have a lovely night, you two.”

“And that looks like my cue, too,” Toni chimed, grinning. “See you two tomorrow!” Without waiting for a response, she took off, speeding out of the parking lot.

Betty let out a low sigh, running her hand through her hair as she turned to look at Jughead. “I can’t believe they did that.”

Jughead just shook his head, biting back a laugh. “I can—that’s exactly the kind of shit they would pull.  I just can’t believe it worked.”

“ _Worked?”_ Betty asked, her eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about, Jug?”

His lips curved into a soft grin. “Well, they were right about one thing.  The whole damn time I was sitting alone at that restaurant table, there was only one girl I could think about it, and it sure wasn’t some nonexistent blind date.”

“Juggie, I—” She cut off with a sigh, shaking her head. “We can’t—”

“Why not, Betts?” Gently, he took her hand in his. “I’m sick of this breakup, and I have a feeling you are, too.”

She swallowed hard, and then she squeezed his hand. “Yeah, I am.” She bit back a smile, looking up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So, about that open apartment tonight…”

Jughead laughed. “Seriously?”

“Seriously!” she laughed. “I mean, there’s no harm in having a drink and catching up, right?

_“Catching up?”_ He asked, his eyebrows quirking. “Is that code for something?”

“Absolutely not, Jughead Jones!”

He smirked, moving his hand to around her waist, pulling her body tight against his. “Alright then, let’s go have a drink.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this, be sure to leave a comment, and check out the rest of the Friends Anthology for even more crazy Serpent adventures!


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